1. Field
The present invention relates generally to a heat dissipation device, and more particularly to a heat dissipation device for cooling a heat-generating electronic device, having uniquely configured heat pipes to enhance heat dissipation capability thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
It is widely acknowledged that heat is produced during operation of electronic devices such as central processing units (CPUs). The heat produced must be quickly removed to ensure the CPUs to work normally. Typically, a heat sink is provided to remove heat from the CPU. More and more electronic components are integrated on the CPU, which makes the CPU hotter and hotter during operation. The conventional heat sink, which is made of a simple slotted metal block attached on the CPU, is no longer a satisfactory means for dissipating heat from the CPU.
Phase change equipments, such as heat pipes are developed to assist heat management of the heat-generating electronic device. Generally, a heat dissipation device with heat pipe comprises a base to absorb heat from the electronic device, a plurality of fins extending from the base and two heat pipes. Each heat pipe comprises an evaporator engaging with the base and a condenser engaging with the fins. During operation of the heat dissipation device, the base absorbs the heat from the electronic device. One part of the heat is directly transferred to bottom portions of the fins. The other part of the heat is transferred to top portions of the fins via the heat pipes.
However, the conventional heat dissipation device with heat pipe has the following disadvantage. First, the heat pipes cannot optimally utilized either when they are extended parallel to each other or when they are extended in a nonparallel manner. For the former, two neighboring evaporators of the heat pipes are separated from each other a distance equal to that between two neighboring condensers of the heat pipes. The evaporators of the heat pipes may be separated from each other a distance which is too far from each other to enable the evaporators to sufficiently absorb the heat of the heat-generating electronic device, which is mainly accumulated at a central portion of the base. On the other hand, the condensers of the heat pipes may be separated from each other a distance which is too close to enable the condensers to evenly distribute the heat transferred from the evaporators to the top portions of the fins. For the latter, although the above problem can be resolved, a width of the fins must be increased significantly in order to accommodate the condensers of the heat pipes. The increase of the width of the fins is quite disadvantageous in view of a compact design of the heat dissipation device for transportation, storage and installation. Summarily, the conventional heat dissipation device with heat pipes cannot simultaneously meet the requirements that the evaporators focus at the central portion of the base of the heat dissipation device to efficiently remove the heat from the base, and that the condensers can evenly distribute the heat to the fins without increasing the width of the fins.